From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI: It has been more than two-and-a-half months, the violence in Manipur does not seem to stop. Rather, with the passage of time, even more heart-wrenching pictures are coming out. Now a video is viral. Two women of the state are being paraded naked and tortured. In this video, two women of the Kuki community are being shown naked and walking on the road. This video has become a topic of discussion all over the world. The monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 20, 2023. General elections next year and In the wake of the events in Manipur, this session is very noisy. The Upper House was adjourned till 12 noon on Thursday after paying tributes to the departed members of the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition has demanded a discussion on the Manipur violence and demanded a statement from the Prime Minister on the issue.
There was a tremendous uproar in Parliament on this matter. Both the Houses were adjourned till Friday demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur. Congress MPs Manish Tewari, Manickam Tagore and some other opposition MPs on Thursday submitted adjournment notices demanding a discussion in both houses of Parliament on the issue of Manipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned it. He said that the culprits will not be spared under any circumstances. The Supreme Court has also taken suo motu cognizance of the matter. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has directed the Central and state governments to take strict action. The Chief Justice even said that either the government should take action, otherwise we ourselves will intervene in this matter. The whole country is shocked after this video surfaced. The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Thursday.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the media and expressed outrage in the Manipur incident. “My heart is full of pain, full of anger. The incident that has come to light in Manipur is a shameful incident for any civilised society. There are sinners, sinners, how many are there, this is its place, but the insult is happening to the whole country. The 140 crore countrymen are facing shame. I urge all chief ministers to take the strictest steps to protect mothers and sisters. Strengthen law and order in your states. Whether it is from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Manipur, we should rise above political disputes and take care of law and order and respect for women. No culprit will be spared.”
What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven. We will give some time to the government to take action or else we will intervene in the matter ourselves, the Supreme Court has said. “We are of the view that the court should be apprised of the steps taken by the government so that the perpetrators can be booked for the violence. What has been shown in the media and the visuals that have emerged shows gross constitutional violation and violating human life by using women as an instrument of violence is against constitutional democracy.”
In the viral video, the two women who are being paraded naked belong to the Kuki community. The video is said to be from May 4, when the violence was in its initial stages. People of the Maitai community have been accused of paraded women naked. Police have registered a case of kidnapping, gang rape and murder against unidentified armed miscreants at Nongpok Sekamai police station in Thoubal district. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has also constituted a separate team to probe the matter. The central government has also sought a report from the state government on this issue. Union Women and Child Welfare Minister Smriti Irani also spoke to the Chief Minister.